most annoying, yet interesting characters ever created. I say he is annoying because you constantly want to just slap him and tell him to stand up for himself. But, in the end he winds up becoming a much better person for having gone through everything. On the surface he seems very simple, but I do not believe this is the case. Gimpel is not merely a fool; he is a very kindhearted person who lets his heart get in the way of his pride. I think the way he introduces himself in the beginning of the story is very important. He says, “I am Gimpel the fool” (Kennedy 68). Although he denies that he really is a fool, the fact that he introduced himself like that says volumes about his character. It says that although he does not believe it to be true, it has become part of his identity. He is not Gimpel, he is Gimpel the fool. Not much is told of any physical characteristics that Gimpel possesses, but we are given some insight into his past. This plays a very important role in who he becomes. “I was an orphan. My grandfather who brought me up was already bent toward the grave. So they turned me over to a baker…” (Kennedy 69). Later in the story, Gimpel becomes a highly successful baker, and it is this job that gives him the opportunity to get revenge on the people of Frampol. I would call Gimpel a major dynamic character. He is obviously the main character, and I think everyone will agree that he is not the same person in the end as he was at the beginning. Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. Gimpel The Fool is written in the first person. We are inside Gimpel’s head from the start of the short story. I say it is written in the first person because of several reasons. The primary reason is the voice that is used. Throughout the story we hear the word I being used. “I am Gimpel the fool…I went to the rabbi…Another shnorrer is waiting to inherit...
